azure-cli

Comprehensive Azure Cloud Platform management via command-line interface

Security Scan

The skill's documentation and scripts match an Azure CLI training/automation purpose, but there are inconsistencies (missing declared runtime requirements and an unknown publisher that links to the official azure-cli repo) that warrant caution before installing or running it.

Purpose & Capability

The skill claims to be an Azure CLI management skill and includes many legitimate az commands and helper scripts. However, the registry metadata lists no required binaries while the scripts clearly invoke the 'az' CLI (and 'jq' in a couple places). A management skill that runs az commands would reasonably be expected to declare the az binary (and any other runtime tools) as requirements. The SKILL.md/repository fields also point to the official Azure CLI repo while the package owner is an unrelated ID — potential misrepresentation of origin.

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md and included scripts provide concrete commands and helper scripts that can create, modify, and delete Azure resources (az group delete, az vm delete, resource cleanup with delete flag). That behavior is consistent with a cloud management skill, but it means the agent (or user) must have authenticated Azure credentials and should understand the destructive effects of some commands. The instructions do not attempt to read unrelated local files or exfiltrate data to external endpoints.

Install Mechanism

There is no install spec (instruction-only), which minimizes supply-chain risk. The skill bundle includes scripts and docs but does not fetch or execute remote code during install. This is appropriate for documentation/scripts only.

Credentials

requires.env and primary credential are empty despite SKILL.md showing examples that use service principal environment variables ($AZURE_CLIENT_ID, $AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET, $AZURE_TENANT_ID) and the scripts requiring authenticated az access. The skill also uses 'jq' but does not declare it. Not declaring required credentials/binaries is an omission that makes assessing privileges harder and is disproportionate to the stated purpose.

Persistence & Privilege

always is false and model invocation is allowed (the platform default). The skill does not request persistent system-wide changes at install time. It contains scripts that an agent could run while authorized, but that is expected for a management skill.

What to consider before installing

This skill appears to be a useful Azure CLI guide with helper scripts, but there are a few red flags you should consider before installing or running it: - Origin: The SKILL.md links the official Azure CLI repository, but the package owner in the registry is not the official Microsoft publisher. Verify the publisher identity and confirm this isn't a copy that misrepresents its origin. - Missing runtime declarations: The bundle fails to declare required binaries (at minimum 'az'; scripts also call 'jq'). Ensure you have the official azure-cli installed from a trusted source and jq if you plan to run scripts. - Credentials & privilege: Running these scripts requires Azure credentials with cloud privileges. Use a least-privilege service principal for automation and avoid running with owner-level credentials. Never paste secrets into scripts. - Destructive actions: Several commands and scripts can delete or modify resources (resource cleanup, az group delete, vm delete). Review and test scripts in a non-production subscription or run them in dry-run modes before permitting automated execution. - Review code before execution: Because this is an instruction-only skill with included scripts, manually inspect the scripts for any modifications before running them in your environment. If you need this functionality, prefer installing the official azure-cli from Microsoft's sources and only use these docs/scripts after verifying the author and adjusting scripts to your security posture.

Azure CLI Skill

Master the Azure command-line interface for cloud infrastructure management, automation, and DevOps workflows.

Azure CLI is Microsoft's powerful cross-platform command-line tool for managing Azure resources. This skill provides comprehensive knowledge of Azure CLI commands, authentication, resource management, and automation patterns.

What You'll Learn

Core Concepts

• Azure subscription and resource group architecture
• Authentication methods and credential management
• Resource Provider organization and registration
• Global parameters, output formatting, and query syntax
• Automation scripting and error handling

Major Service Areas (66 command modules)

• Compute: Virtual Machines, Scale Sets, Kubernetes (AKS), Containers
• Networking: Virtual Networks, Load Balancers, CDN, Traffic Manager
• Storage & Data: Storage Accounts, Data Lake, Cosmos DB, Databases
• Application Services: App Service, Functions, Container Apps
• Databases: SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, CosmosDB
• Integration & Messaging: Event Hubs, Service Bus, Logic Apps
• Monitoring & Management: Azure Monitor, Policy, RBAC, Cost Management
• AI & Machine Learning: Cognitive Services, Machine Learning
• DevOps: Azure DevOps, Pipelines, Extensions

Quick Start

Installation

macOS:

brew install azure-cli

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian):

curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCliLinux | bash

Windows:

choco install azure-cli
# Or download MSI from https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCliWindowsMSI

Verify Installation:

az --version          # Show version
az --help             # Show general help

First Steps

# 1. Login to Azure (opens browser for authentication)
az login

# 2. View your subscriptions
az account list

# 3. Set default subscription (optional)
az account set --subscription "My Subscription"

# 4. Create a resource group
az group create -g myResourceGroup -l eastus

# 5. List your resource groups
az group list

Essential Commands

Authentication & Accounts

az login                                    # Interactive login
az login --service-principal -u APP_ID -p PASSWORD -t TENANT_ID
az login --identity                         # Managed identity
az logout                                   # Sign out
az account show                             # Current account
az account list                             # All accounts
az account set --subscription SUBSCRIPTION  # Set default

Global Flags (Use with Any Command)

--subscription ID       # Target subscription
--resource-group -g RG  # Target resource group
--output -o json|table|tsv|yaml  # Output format
--query JMESPATH_QUERY  # Filter/extract output
--verbose -v            # Verbose output
--debug                 # Debug mode
--help -h               # Command help

Resource Groups

az group list           # List all resource groups
az group create -g RG -l LOCATION  # Create
az group delete -g RG   # Delete
az group show -g RG     # Get details
az group update -g RG --tags key=value  # Update tags

Virtual Machines (Compute)

az vm create -g RG -n VM_NAME --image UbuntuLTS
az vm list -g RG
az vm show -g RG -n VM_NAME
az vm start -g RG -n VM_NAME
az vm stop -g RG -n VM_NAME
az vm restart -g RG -n VM_NAME
az vm delete -g RG -n VM_NAME

Storage Operations

az storage account create -g RG -n ACCOUNT --sku Standard_LRS
az storage account list
az storage container create --account-name ACCOUNT -n CONTAINER
az storage blob upload --account-name ACCOUNT -c CONTAINER -n BLOB -f LOCAL_FILE
az storage blob download --account-name ACCOUNT -c CONTAINER -n BLOB -f LOCAL_FILE

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

az aks create -g RG -n CLUSTER --node-count 2
az aks get-credentials -g RG -n CLUSTER
az aks list
az aks show -g RG -n CLUSTER
az aks delete -g RG -n CLUSTER

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Output Formatting

# Get only specific fields
az vm list --query "[].{name: name, state: powerState}"

# Get just the names
az vm list --query "[].name" -o tsv

# Filter and extract
az vm list --query "[?powerState=='VM running'].name"

Pattern 2: Automation & Scripting

#!/bin/bash
set -e  # Exit on error

# Get VM ID
VM_ID=$(az vm create \
  -g myRG \
  -n myVM \
  --image UbuntuLTS \
  --query id \
  --output tsv)

echo "Created VM: $VM_ID"

# Check provisioning state
az vm show --ids "$VM_ID" --query provisioningState

Pattern 3: Batch Operations

# Delete all VMs in a resource group
az vm list -g myRG -d --query "[].id" -o tsv | xargs az vm delete --ids

# List all resources by tag
az resource list --tag env=production

Pattern 4: Using Defaults

# Set defaults to reduce typing
az configure --defaults group=myRG subscription=mySubscription location=eastus

# Now commands are simpler
az vm create -n myVM --image UbuntuLTS  # group, subscription, location inherited

Helper Scripts

This skill includes helper bash scripts for common operations:

• azure-vm-status.sh — Check VM status across subscription
• azure-resource-cleanup.sh — Identify and remove unused resources
• azure-storage-analysis.sh — Analyze storage account usage and costs
• azure-subscription-info.sh — Get subscription quotas and limits
• azure-rg-deploy.sh — Deploy infrastructure with monitoring

Usage:

./scripts/azure-vm-status.sh -g myResourceGroup
./scripts/azure-storage-analysis.sh --subscription mySubscription

Advanced Topics

Output Querying with JMESPath

Azure CLI supports powerful output filtering using JMESPath:

# Sort results
az vm list --query "sort_by([], &name)"

# Complex filtering
az vm list --query "[?location=='eastus' && powerState=='VM running'].name"

# Aggregation
az vm list --query "length([])"  # Count VMs

Error Handling

# Check exit codes
az vm create -g RG -n VM --image UbuntuLTS
if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
  echo "VM created successfully"
else
  echo "Failed to create VM"
  exit 1
fi

Authentication Methods

Service Principal (Automation):

az login --service-principal \
  --username $AZURE_CLIENT_ID \
  --password $AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET \
  --tenant $AZURE_TENANT_ID

Managed Identity (Azure Resources):

# On an Azure VM or Container Instance
az login --identity

Token-based (CI/CD):

echo "$AZURE_ACCESS_TOKEN" | az login --service-principal -u $AZURE_CLIENT_ID --password-stdin --tenant $AZURE_TENANT_ID

Key Resources

• Official Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/
• Command Reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/reference-index
• GitHub Repository: https://github.com/Azure/azure-cli
• Comprehensive Guide: See references/REFERENCE.md
• Release Notes: https://github.com/Azure/azure-cli/releases

Tips & Tricks

1. Enable Tab Completion:

   # macOS with Homebrew
   eval "$(az completion init zsh)"
   
   # Linux (bash)
   eval "$(az completion init bash)"
   

2. Find Commands Quickly:

   az find "create virtual machine"  # Search for commands
   

3. Use --no-wait for Long Operations:

   az vm create -g RG -n VM --image UbuntuLTS --no-wait
   # Check status later with az vm show
   

4. Save Frequently Used Parameters:

   az configure --defaults group=myRG location=eastus
   

5. Combine with Other Tools:

   # Use with jq for advanced JSON processing
   az vm list | jq '.[] | select(.powerState == "VM running") | .name'
   
   # Use with xargs for batch operations
   az storage account list --query "[].name" -o tsv | xargs -I {} az storage account show -g RG -n {}
   

Next Steps

• Review references/REFERENCE.md for comprehensive command documentation
• Explore helper scripts in the scripts/ directory
• Practice with non-production resources first
• Review Azure best practices and cost optimization strategies

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Version: 1.0.0
License: MIT
Compatible with: Azure CLI v2.50+, Azure Subscription